"The air is pleasantly cool tonight, with a gentle breeze and cloudless sky. You couldn't ask for better weather, given the occasion."
"The sleeves of the bright red kimono hide my missing left hand pretty well. At least it's useful for something; the fact that I can barely move in this thing reminds me why I don't like wearing them."
"The sandals, too, are terrible. Given the tight fabric around my legs and the danger of putting a foot wrong and slipping out of them, there's little option but to take dainty little steps. Clothes like this make you act ladylike, whether you want to or not."
"After putting Shizune and Misha through the trouble of doing my makeup for me and helping me put on the kimono, plus paying actual money to get my hair done, Suzu had better appreciate this."
"I run my hand through my hair, partly to take in the feeling of how smooth and silky it is thanks to the barber's careful work, and partly to distract myself. I've taken care not to move around suddenly or work up a sweat, so everything should still look about right. Hopefully."
"Walking down the path towards the park where we'd agreed to meet, the crowds get bigger as bigger as I near the main festivities. The scent of grilled food wafts in the air, as does the faint perfume of passing women."
"It's a nice atmosphere, with people cheerful and happy as they walk along the path brightly lit by paper lanterns and stall lights. The pavement, trees, and everything around me almost seems to glow as the multicolored lights dance off them."
"Following the stream of festival-goers, the backs of two familiar figures come into sight ahead of me. One in his dorky sweater, and the other in a cute kimono of her own."
"As I walk up to the two of them, it's Hisao who notices me first, having glanced back to see if I was coming. He gives a smile as he taps Suzu on the shoulder to turn her around."
"And then... we meet."
"I open my mouth to say something, but the words catch in my throat. It takes me a couple of tries before I give up saying anything casual or witty, instead giving some pathetic excuse at my own expense."
mik "Guess I was a bit late, huh?"
his "It's fine. Going by the looks of you, I can see why you took a while."
his "I'd never have guessed you could be so ladylike."
mik "Don't get used to it."
"Hisao snorts, but my attention soon shifts to Suzu. She simply looks at me, still, silent, and unassuming. With her hair carefully groomed, hands daintily pursed in front of her, and cheeks rosy, she looks like a dainty doll. It's only now that I notice the cute little clip in her hair."
"I feel my chest tighten as I stare at her. Suzu's always been an oddball, but for once, I feel like we have an understanding that we've never shared before. The look in those eyes could only possibly be one thing."
"Nobody's ever looked at me like that before. I don't know why I'm so awkward about it; this is what all the fuss over how I looked in front of her was meant to achieve, after all. Despite all the time we've been friends, she's finally managed to leave me speechless."
"So this is how it feels like to hold someone's heart in your grasp..."
"The movement of Hisao draws me back into the real world, the sounds, smells, and bright lights around us suddenly reentering my conciousness. We both look on as he quietly turns and begins to walk away."
suz "Where are you-?"
his "I'm going to run on ahead and have a poke around the festival. Enjoy yourselves."
"He gives a churlish grin as he waves goodbye, skipping backwards with his hands in his pockets before blending into the thickening crowd ahead. Hisao might make for a mightily dorky cupid, but he's done alright. I owe him for this. We both do."
"And so.... we're alone."
"I quickly begin to walk forward, or at least, as quickly as the kimono's tight wrapping around my legs allows. Suzu's mouth practically quivers as she tries to work out what to say or do, but I know she's not going to come up with anything."
"Moving past her, I take her hand in mine as I go, not looking at her nor saying a word. Shes not the only one stuck for how to act in this situation. All I know, is that right now I'm the one who has to take the lead."
"Hand in hand, the two of us walk side by side into the heart of the festivities. The noise and laughter levels off as we enter, with people busying themselves eating food, playing games at the stalls, and chatting with their friends and partners."
"Being two girls limits how intimate we can get, but right now, it doesn't really matter; Just holding hands is intense for both of us."
"Suzu's hand feels soft, far removed from my rough and poorly cared-for skin, and her fingers lightly clutch at mine. They're warm, and only now do I notice the slight scent of perfume."
"Just a few days ago we were friends, yet now she acts as a lovestruck maiden. Is it because she'd always held these feelings for me, and just stuffed them down until now? Or is it desperation, a frantic grasping at something precious that she feels might fly away at any moment?"
"It's a little sad, in a way. Right now she appears more fragile than ever, and it's all because of me."
"I spot a toffee apple stall a small distance ahead. Longing to break the silence and help the girl enjoy herself, I decide to use her sweet tooth against her."
mik "Want a toffee apple? My treat."
"This is where she should be giving me some probably deserved snark about how much I ask her for money. Instead, all she can manage is a subdued nod."
"I give a sigh as I lead us to the counter, taking my hand from hers to remove my purse. You pick up a few tricks after being one-handed for so long, with the stallowner raising an eyebrow at how efficiently I flick a few notes from my wallet using the same hand that's holding it."
"I can't say I share Suzu's taste for sweet things, so after buying one and handing to to her, I thank the stall owner and take my leave."
suz "Thanks."
mik "It's fine."
"She begins to lick at her sweet, but only after reaching out her hand. I take it without question, and the two of us continue onward."
"Suzu's grip is looser than before, which I count as a small victory. While I appreciate her reaction to me being all dolled up, the last thing I want is for her cataplexy to play up. Besides, the calmer she is, the easier things will be."
"As we move from stall to stall, I keep an eye out for anything that might be fun to do. Little by little her toffee apple whittles away as we walk, the food making the silence between us a little less stressful."
"Despite my scanning around, it's Suzu who finds something first."
"She might not have said it, but the way her gaze lingers on a stuffed panda is unmistakable. A quick glance at the stall it's sitting in shows it to be a game involving shooting some cups arranged in a pyramid with a cork gun to win a prize. Simple enough."
mik "Wanna try it?"
suz "The gun thing?"
mik "Yeah."
suz "You just want to shoot something, don't you?"
"That's more like it. Her sardonicism, both in her voice and her expression, are for once a welcome sight."
mik "Yup. You can keep the prize."
"I drag her over to the stall, and ask the owner what the prices are. A handful of yen for three shots is reasonable enough, so I fork over a few coins to the frail old man sitting on his tatty fold-up chair."
"Suzu patiently stands back as I take the gun from the counter, testing its heft and loading the cork before shaking my left arm upwards to draw the sleeve away from my stump. The owner looks more amused than shocked as I take up position, pressing the stock to my shoulder and resting the barrel on my uncovered forearm."
"The stance works well at stabilising my aim, even if I can feel the glances of a few passing people on me. A tall, tanned girl in a bright red kimono taking aim with a bare stump where her left hand should be would look pretty weird."
"I silently will myself to hit the center cup of the pyramid that's been carefully arranged. This is my chance to look super slick in front of Suzu, and although she's trying to hide it, she really wants that panda. I just need to concentrate, and..."
"The trigger gives little resistance as I pull it, the cork leaving the gun with a soft pop. With that, I lower the gun a little to see the result."
"I needn't have bothered, as the sound of plastic cups falling to the ground is perfectly obvious. It was only just enough force to do it, but the pyramid toppled over with a single shot."
mik "Yes!"
"I don't even get a chance to put the gun down before I find a pair of arms wrapped around me, my stump reflexively coming around Suzu's back as she wraps me in an excited embrace."
"I can't wipe the dumb grin off my face as I rest the gun's barrel against my shoulder. I must look so cool right now. The coolest."
suz "Thank you!"
mik "Piece o' cake."
"The old man reaches to his side and quietly rings the little bell to signify a winner, knowing that any verbal congratulations would pale compared to her reaction."
"I look to him and nod to the bear as the prize I want, Suzu gently breaking off as he comes over with the stuffed item. She gives her earnest thanks to the man, the gun replaced on the counter as he passes it into her eager hands."
"We take our leave of the stall hand in hand, my own in her left, and the bear in her right. I can't help but smile at her as she inspects her new friend, glad to see a childish side of her she so rarely allows to be seen."
"I'm pretty comfortable in calling tonight a success already. It's difficult to get past Suzu's mental reflex of avoiding emotions, but she's finally letting herself go. There's still a chance of cataplexy, or a sudden bout of sleepiness, but we'll take that as it comes."
"A trademark whistle echoes across the air, everyone's eyes suddenly turning to the bright green streak of light slowly chasing upwards into the night."
"The first firework of the night explodes with a thunderous clap, its bright payload filling the sky above with vivid sparkles. A collective whoop resounds from the crowd, a few children begging to be raised onto their parent's shoulders to see."
"Everyone begins to move at once towards the main viewing area a good distance ahead. Like two rocks in the middle of a vast stream, Suzu and I find ourselves surrounded by a flow of people all moving towards the one direction."
suz "We're going to miss the fireworks if we stay here!"
"Her hand breaks from mine as she runs ahead as fast as her getup allows, clutching her new panda to her chest."
"After a moment's thought I quickly take chase, outpacing her with little effort."
"The moment I reach Suzu, I push my arms forward and bring them over her shoulders to take hold of her. She comes to a dead stop the moment she feels my body pressing to her's, her arms dropping to her sides."
"She way she stopped so suddenly, without a single word being spoken, shows her lie. She never truly pushed the thought of her confession out of her mind, instead trying to distract herself the entire time. It's the sort of thing she'd do."
"The two of us stand still for seconds, maybe minutes. I lose track of the time as we stay there, the area around us slowly draining of people as everyone leaves the stalls to get the best view of the coming fireworks show."
"And then, it starts."
"One by one, the little rockets shoot up into the sky, exploding above into all different colors of the rainbow. The view from here isn't so bad, the glow of the paper lanterns and the haphazardly run strings overhead doing little to block the lightshow above."
"I carefully rehearsed what I was going to say to Suzu just for this moment, but it's all completely gone. No matter how much I try to remember those words, they never come back."
"Well, whatever. Rehearsing a lovely little speech doesn't suit me anyway."
mik "I'm proud of you, Suzu."
mik "Here I was thinking I was the one with all the guts, but in the end, it turned out to be you."
mik "I'm sorry for not giving you an answer until now. I... had to sort out a few things in my head, I guess."
"I take a long breath and close my eyes. I can't take back the next words I'll say, but I know I have to speak them."
mik "You're a good girl, Suzu. You don't deserve a terrible person like me."
mik "But if you really do like me... then I'll walk beside you. Wherever you go, I'll go. Wherever I go, I'll take you."
mik "I'll go out with you, Suzu."
"I always thought confessions were supposed to make your heart race... but mine feels completely at peace. Things will change, but I know that this is what I want. Suzu deserves happiness, and if I can give that to her, then I can be truly happy as well."
"Her body shudders a little, making me step back."
"As she turns to face me, her face is a delicate mix of disbelief and hope. All I can do in response to that delicate face, its owner looking more fragile than she ever has, is give a reassuring smile."
"Without regard for anyone around us, she closes her eyes and lifts her chin just slightly, standing on her toes. By now everyone's left for the fireworks display, the two of us standing alone in the bright lights bathing the path."
"With one hand on her left shoulder and my forearm resting on her right, I close my eyes and gently lower myself towards her."
"And so, I press my lips to those of my precious Sleeping Beauty."